Cry Me a River
by MaverickLover2
Summary: Belle Maverick was the last of Bart's children that he expected to have a problem with. But when she gets her first crush on a boy and declares it love, trouble shows up at his door.
1. A Schoolin' We Will Go

Cry Me A River

Chapter 1 – A Schoolin' We Will Go

My twin daughters had just turned fifteen and started their second to last year of school. Where had the time gone? Just yesterday they were tiny babies that their mother and I had to walk the floor with at night to stop their crying. Now they were beautiful young ladies, Maude and Isabelle, and I was their proud father. My name is Bart Maverick. You might have heard of me and my brother Bret. We used to be gamblers, traveling all over the country playin' poker. For the last few years we've been horse breeders, and we live on the ranch we helped create just outside of Little Bend, Texas, the B Bar M.

We've been pretty successful cross-breeding both Criollo and Mustang horses with Arabian, and Blue-Roans with the cross-breeds. But you don't wanna hear about a horse ranch. You wanna hear about Maudie and Belle. Ain't that funny, it's always Maudie and Belle, never Belle and Maudie. I guess that's because Maudie's the oldest, the most out-going, hard working and opinionated. Belle is quiet and sweet, always willing to give you a helping hand. She's a book-worm and good grades come easier to her than Maudie; it's easy to tell them apart. Maudie is tanned from being outside with the horses every spare minute, while Belle is kinda pale from spendin' most of her time indoors with her mother. Maudie's blonde hair is usually pulled back into a ponytail, to keep it out of her eyes while she works with the horses. Belle wears hers long and loose, kinda like her mommas. I love them both with every fiber inside of me. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for those girls.

Listen to me go on. You'd think they were the only two we had. Actually, there's four more babies, although I guess I can't call 'em that anymore. There's Beauregard, named for his grandfather, who's thirteen; Breton, after my brother, eleven; Lily Elizabeth, nine; and that last little fella, Timothy, after our adopted brother who was killed by stray gunfire in town years ago. Tim is all of five, and he wants nothin' more than to hang around his older sisters whenever he can.

Lookin' at their momma, Doralice, I can't believe that much time has passed. She looks every bit as beautiful as the day I married her, some eighteen years ago. Not a single thing about her would indicate even a day has passed since then. Me? I've got some silver in my hair and some lines on my face, but this old boy has held up pretty good, too. Us Mavericks seem to age well.

Anyway, the girls were just startin' school again, much to Maudie's chagrin. Belle, of course, couldn't wait to go back. There ain't no doubt in my mind that Belle will want to go to college; Maude, on the other hand, can't wait for school to be over. Just like her old man, I'm afraid. I've made it a habit of takin' them all to school on the first day, no matter how old they are, so we piled all six kids in the wagon, and me and Doralice set off amongst much moanin' and groanin'. All except for Tim, who was excited about startin' school and gettin' to spend all day with his grown-up sisters.

Maudie, of course, was mortified that I didn't think she was old enough to go to school by herself. That wasn't the case, of course, I just wanted to see them off on their first day and wish them all well. Their Momma and me kissed every one that would let us and watched them go into their schools. The group was divided into two; the littlest ones, age ten and under, went to Miss Mortimer's classroom; eleven and over were schooled by Ellie Maverick, Uncle Ben's wife. They didn't realize just how lucky they were; Ellie was a wonderful teacher.

When everyone had gone in, Doralice and me sat in the wagon in silence for a few minutes before anyone said anything. Finally, my blue-eyes smiled at me and asked, "What are you thinkin', gamblin' man?"

"I was just thinkin' I'd like to go back and start all over again. It went by too fast."

"I know it did. I can't believe how grown up they are. Even our baby is a little man."

I sighed, not for the first time that morning. "I guess we just have to learn to live with it. One of these days we'll be old people talkin' about grandbabies."

"Dear Lord, I hope not yet. How about we stop in town and have a late breakfast at Sawyer's?"

My stomach growled in answer. As usual, I'd only had coffee. "Sounds like a good idea to me. Maybe we can stop at Maude's for a few minutes when we're done?"

"Sure. Works for me."

Sawyer herself was there and seated us. "All the kids in school now?"

"How could you tell?" I asked.

"That forlorn look on your faces. How about I bring you both coffee and today's special?"'

I nodded and the coffee soon appeared. "Well, love, what do we do with all our spare time now?"

Doralice laughed, that delicious laugh she had. That was one of the many things I loved about her. "You watch, there won't be any spare time."

"Ain't that the truth."

We made small talk about nothin' in general until breakfast came, blueberry pancakes and bacon. "Wouldn't Timmy be in hog heaven?" his momma asked. Blueberry pancakes were Timmy's favorite, and my heart skipped a beat that he wasn't here with us. When we were finished, Sawyer came back to pick up the dishes and asked, "You two headed home now?"

"Nope," I told her. "Thought we'd see how Billy's doin' down at Maude's." Maude's was the biggest saloon west of the Rockies, and while I was still the General Manager, Billy Sunday had been the day-to-day manager for quite a while. Matter of fact, he had a little one in school now, too. "Come on, blue-eyes. It's a beautiful mornin'. Why don't we walk?"

So I paid the bill and we walked down to Maude's. "Hey, boss," Willie called. "Everything okay?"

After all this time, Willie was still workin' as head bartender. "Fine, fine, Willie. It's the first day of school."

"That's right, I forgot. Mrs. Maverick, what would you like. Coffee, tea, somethin' stronger?"

"No thanks, Willie, we just finished breakfast. I'm goin' back with Bart to see Billy."

We walked through the saloon, somethin' we hadn't done for quite a while. It was clean and tidy and looked like Billy had just had her painted. I had hold of Doralice's hand as I knocked on Billy's door.

"Come in," a familiar voice called out, and I pushed the door open. Billy stood up instantly. "Boss, what are you doin' here? I mean, I don't mean it like that."

I laughed and ushered blue-eyes inside, then closed the door behind me. "Sit down, Billy. Nothin' special. We took the kids to the first day of school, had breakfast at Sawyers, then decided to come down here and say hello. Didn't you have a little one startin' school today?"

"I did, little Jessie. Evan and me already deposited her with Miss Mortimer. That is after we pried her off of Evan's skirt. I didn't know a child could wail that loud; it took us a while to get her calmed down. How did Tim do? Any cryin' for mama?"

"Not a bit. He was excited to start school. None of ours have ever raised a fuss about it."

"Lucky man. I hope every day ain't like this morning."

"How's everything goin' here?"

"Can't complain. Everything seems to be runnin' as smooth as a top."

I was glad to hear that. "Good, keep it up. Maude and me are real pleased with your profits. You've got a bonus comin' at the end of the fiscal year, and it could be a big one if profits stay the way they are. By the way, see to it that Willie gets a fifty dollar a month raise, effective immediately. He deserves it as much as you do. And Billy? We're havin' a big family dinner this Sunday, at noon. We expect you and Evan and the children to be there."

"What if I can't get anybody to cover for me, Bart?"

"Then close the place down and bring Willie with you. But we want you two there, no matter what. Understand?"

"Got it."

Doralice stood up. "Be sure and give our regards to Evan."

"Will do. She'll be happy to see you both on Sunday."

"Me, too," Doralice answered. "I miss her."

"See you on Sunday, Billy," I said as we shook hands.

"Yes, sir. See you Sunday."

Doralice and me left the saloon after saying our farewells to Willie and walked back up to the wagon.

"Things are really changin' here in town," my blue-eyes commented as she looked around.

"Oh, you mean the four new shops and the expansion of the Emporium?"

"Not fair. You get into town more often than I do."

"I think we can rectify that, now that everybody's in school, don't you?"

"I do too," she nodded. "I look forward to long lunches at least once a week at Mamacitas."

"I think I can accommodate you, Mrs. Maverick."

She giggled. "You better. I'd hate to have to go to lunch with James because my favorite gamblin' man stood me up."

"No chance, fair lady. Especially if my substitute is Dandy."

"He could never be a substitute for you, sweetheart."

I nodded. "Good to hear." I picked up the reins and we headed home.


	2. Repercussions

Chapter 2 – Repercussions

I wasn't sure just what kind of repercussions we would have from the first day of school, so I was braced for anything. When everybody finally made it home, most all of them were fairly nonchalant about school and teachers, and a few were even happy. Tim, of course, was disappointed that the twins were in a different building, but at least he got to see them at lunchtime, which was more than he'd gotten when they were in school and he wasn't.

Breton was quite pleased with the change of teachers, from Hannah Mortimer to Ellie Maverick. He had nothing bad or disturbing to say about Miss Mortimer; they'd just never gotten along. Maudie and Belle had already had Ellie as a teacher for several years, and nothing of any importance seemed to have happened that first day.

Doralice and me had arranged for Lily Mae to cook breakfast for everyone the second day of school; we'd been waitin' a long time to lie in bed as long as we wanted without havin' to get up and rush to get everyone off. Lily told us later that she'd had quite a time explainin' to Tim why it wasn't a good idea to disturb momma and papa by saying goodbye that morning; they knew he loved them and they loved him, too. After hearing that I told my blue-eyed girl that we had to get up with the herd, no matter how much we wanted to enjoy our privacy for a morning. I could just imagine his little face when he couldn't give us a kiss goodbye and it broke my heart.

I didn't know that this mornin', however, and me and their momma were lying in bed in each other's arms after a couple rounds of lovemaking, enjoying the peace and quiet and feeling of serenity that comes with being absolutely certain of your partner's love. Sometime after we heard the doors close downstairs, my fair-haired beauty decided she wanted to 'play,' and commenced tickling me. It takes a lot to find just the right spot to get me giggling, but that girl has always been persistent, and soon I was laughing uncontrollably. Then, of course, it was my turn to tickle her, and she's got plenty of spots that make her giggle. So when Lily Mae finally appeared at our door to let us know breakfast was ready, I'm sure she got an earful.

"Alright, you two, breakfast is about to be put on the table. Come on down now and eat or you'll be eatin' it cold."

That, of course, got both of us goin' in high gear. Doralice grabbed a dressing gown and me a robe and off we went. We then got an earful from Lily and had to promise that we'd get up with everybody else, if only to kiss everyone goodbye. If we wanted to go back to bed when all the littles were gone that was our business. We were properly chastised and promised to make an early mornin' appearance from now on.

The three of us were drinkin' coffee ad lolling around the table when my brother came in the back door and joined us. "Ain't it a little late to be lollygaggin' around?" he asked.

"Like you and Ginny ain't never stayed in bed when the kids was all off to school," I replied.

"Well . . . "

"I thought so."

"We got that new bunch of foals to start workin' with," my brother responded. "I got three of 'em sold already."

"The man works fast," I told Doralice. "They're only six months old."

"They don't hafta learn to read and write," Lily Mae threw in.

"Thank God," said my wife.

"Come on, son, get yourself in gear, we ain't got all day," Bret pushed.

"Alright, I'll get ready," I answered reluctantly, got up and kissed Doralice, and went upstairs to get shaved and dressed. A little over twenty minutes later I was back downstairs, ready to start the task at hand. What did I find my brother doin'? Eatin' the breakfast Lily made him, and talkin' to Doralice.

"You better be ready to go, after you read me the riot act, big brother."

"Don't get yourself in an uproar, I was just killin' time," he replied.

"With your mouth stuffed full of food," I shot back. I kissed Doralice once again, told Lily Mae goodbye, and off we went. Bret acted like he had somethin' he wanted to talk about, so I kinda nudged him into it. "Somethin' on your mind besides six-month-old foals?" I asked

"Yeah, sorta."

"Well, spill it."

"Ginny wants to go back to work."

I hesitated a moment, before I blurted out what I was thinkin'. "She's a little old for that, isn't she?" Best as I could figure she was about Doralice's age, somewhere around forty-five.

"No, not as an agent. She wants to run the Western Division again. They're re-staffin' and they're willing to let her run it from down here."

"So what's the problem?"

"It takes so much dang time, and Bodeen's only six. He needs his mother. Gracie and Bartley have got each other, it's not so hard for them, but Bodie's still a little guy."

"Have you told her how you feel?" I asked.

"Not really."

We'd arrived at the corral where the foals were, well, acting like foals. "You gotta tell her, Bret. It ain't fair to Ginny if you don't."

"Yeah, I know. I guess I just don't want a confrontation."

"You sure there's gonna be one? Maybe Ginny feels the same way and she's just lookin' for a reason to back out." It seemed unlikely, but it was possible. And Bret wasn't gonna know until he talked to his wife. And then I had an idea. "Maybe she's just lookin' for somethin' to get involved in. Why don't you get her to help with the cross-breeding program you're doin'? There's got to be somethin' she could be involved in. Talk to Doralice about the work she does for me. I'm sure she'd have ideas."

"Maybe you're right. Thanks for the suggestion."

We finally turned our attention to the foals we had to work with, and the rest of the day passed quickly. By the time I got back to the house the kids were home from school, and Maudie had a lot to tell me about her sister.

"There's a boy at school with a crush in Belle."

"Oh?"

"His name is Jordan McKenzie and he's new this year."

"Why do you think he likes Belle?" Doralice asked her.

"Because he's always askin' her for help, or to borrow somethin'. And twice he went out of his way to be partners with her in projects that Ellie has us workin'on."

"And how does your sister act?" Now it was my turn with the question.

"I don't know . . . kinda goofy, like she likes it but she's not real sure."

"And why do you think it's so important that we know about this?" her mother queried.

"Because she ain't never acted like this before."

After Maude left and went upstairs, her mother and me sat and discussed Belle's 'beau.'

"What do you think about this?" Doralice asked me.

"I don't like it, not one bit. She's too young to have a boyfriend."

"She's fifteen, Bart. I ran off and got married at sixteen."

"That's different. You were . . . you were . . . "

"I was what?"

"Crazy," I finished.

"What are you gonna do?"

"Nothing," I answered. "For now. Let's wait and see how this develops. It could be absolutely nothing."

"You don't for one minute believe that. You're scared to death you're gonna lose your little girl."

"Well, aren't you?"

"You can't keep 'em babies forever, handsome. They gotta grow up and fly sometime."

"Not at fifteen," I replied firmly.

Shows you how much I know.


	3. Good Advice

Chapter 3 – Good Advice

A week or two passed and nothing further was said about Jordan McKenzie. I was hoping against hope that we'd heard the end of it. Belle seemed the same as she always had, and the subject didn't come up. Then one afternoon I was in the barn workin' on saddles when Maudie came burstin' in, out of breath.

"Daddy, Daddy!"

She ran straight into me and almost knocked me down. "Whoa, little girl. What's the hurry?"

"I couldn't wait to tell you about Belle and Jordan!"

I'd heard the dreaded words. Belle and Jordan. "What about your sister?"

"They ate lunch together today."

Well, that wasn't nearly as bad as I'd expected. "Maudie, just because they ate lunch together doesn't mean anything. Lots of people eat lunch together all the time and they're just friends. I had a friend I used to eat lunch with and that's all it was – just lunch and nothing more." I, of course, was thinkin' back many years, to Josephine Whitlock. She might have had intentions other than friendship, but I never did.

"She's actin' all funny, Daddy like she really likes him."

"That's not funny, Maudie, maybe she does really like him."

Having failed to impress me with her news, my oldest daughter ran off the tell her mother. What she didn't know was that she'd worried me far more than I showed. A poker face comes in handy sometimes, especially with children.

By the time I got back to the house it was super time, and all I had time for was to wash my face and hands. We all sat down to eat and the meal was full of chatter about school; what a great teacher Miss Ellie was, how glad Bret**on was **to be out of Miss Mortimer's class, how much fun Tim was having, especially at lunch when he got to go outside. "Is anybody havin' any trouble in class?" Doralice quizzed them.

Maudie looked like she was just burstin' to say somethin', but she kept quiet. "How about you, Belle? How are you doin'?"

If I expected any kind of a confession, I didn't get it. "Fine, Daddy. No problems. You know me."

Lily Beth, who usually was as quiet as a mouse, finally contributed something. "Belle's got a boyfriend."

I of course, just about spit out the food in my mouth. My heart was poundin' in my chest as I calmly asked, "Belle? Is there somethin' you wanna tell us?"

Belle looked up in that quiet way she had and said, "No."

I glanced at her mother and Doralice stepped in. "Belle, who's Jordan McKenzie?"

Belle did not look happy, but she managed to say, "Just a new boy in school. He's a friend of mine."

"Is Lily Beth right? Is he your boyfriend?"

"Heavens no, Mother. I told you, he's a friend of mine. That's all."

I exhaled. Breton had something to say about another of his new classmates and the subject changed. I don't know what they talked about; the only thing that was goin' through my mind was somethin' that shook me to my roots . . . my daughter was lyin' to me.

XXXXXXXX

After supper there was still plenty of light outside, and the children had gone out to play. Maudie, of course, was out riding Spreckles, and Belle had gone with her tonight on one of the Mustang horses. No doubt it was to escape my questioning. I was forced into cross-examining her mother, as if Doralice would be able to answer my questions. Well, she'd been a fifteen-year-old once, hadn't she?

"Why's she lyin' to us, blue-eyes?"

"She's not lyin', Bart, she just wants to keep her feelings private."

"What feelings?"

"That I can't answer, but whatever they are, they're hers. She's not a little girl anymore, honey, whether you want to admit it or not. She's entitled to have feelings for somebody other than us."

"She's too young, damnit!"

"How old was your brother when he tried every trick in the book to get married?"

Bret had been fifteen the summer he'd tried so desperately to marry Mary Alice. "That was different."

"Oh. How?"

"He was . . . he was almost a man that summer. "

"Take a good look at your oldest daughters. They're almost women. The only reason Maudie doesn't have a boyfriend is she can only see horses. That isn't Belle. She has other interests."

"Evidently."

"Gamblin' man, you have to keep this under your hat. Trust me, I know from experience that the fastest way to cause trouble is to stick your nose in her business."

"But . . ."

"No buts about it, sweetheart. Leave Belle alone. Let her tell you in her own time, in her own way. If you know what's good for you, you'll listen to what I have to say."

It all sounded good. It really did. But when did I ever pay any attention to somethin' that sounded good?


	4. New Rules

Chapter 4 – New Rules

I went to the barn to wait for my girls, knowing that they'd be back before dark. Belle came in first, and from the look on her face I'd say she was none too happy. "Where's your sister?" was the first thing I asked.

"Don't know," she answered me. "She did everything she could to lose me out there, and I finally gave up tryin' to catch her and came home."

"Why'd you want to catch her?" I asked innocently.

She pulled her saddle off the horse before she said anything. "She didn't have any right to tell you and momma about Jordan. She made it sound like . . . well, more than it is."

"What is it, Belle? Is it just friendship, or is it somethin' more? Is that why you're so mad at your sister?"

She turned to me with empty hands and pleading in her voice. "Honest, Daddy he's just a friend. Maudie is makin' it more than it is. Maybe she's jealous or somethin'."

"Do you really think that? That she's jealous?"

She shook her head. "I don't know what to think. She's actin' like I can't pay no attention to anybody but her. Maybe she's just mad cause I ain't eatin' lunch with her no more."

"Do you wanna wait here with me for her to come in?" I queried on the spur of the moment.

"No. I'm too mad at her right now. I'll talk to her when she comes upstairs." She started to walk out of the barn, then turned back to me. "Thanks, Daddy."

"For what?" I asked.

"For listening. I love you. Goodnight." And she came over and gave me a hug before leaving the barn.

I sat down on one of the hay bales to think before Maudie got in. Evidently, I'd done alright with Belle. I hadn't pushed her past my initial question, and she seemed to be fine with me when she left. Maybe Doralice was right after all, and I should just let her tell me what's goin' on with Jordan McKenzie in her own time. Obviously she wasn't ready yet. Now, to deal with my oldest daughter. This was gonna be trickier; Maudie wasn't as easy going as her twin.

I was still sittin' there, almost an hour later, as dark fell upon the land. Maudie made it into the barn by the skin of her teeth. She looked surprised to see me. "Daddy! What are you doin' out here?"

"I'm waitin' to see why you ran off and left your sister all alone out there."

There was an edge to my voice and I don't think she expected that. But she had run off and left her sister, and it was still dangerous for a young girl, I mean woman, out there by herself, and I didn't want it to happen again.

"I knew she was gonna yell at me," Maudie told me as she was slidin' down off of Spreckles.

"That's no reason to run off and leave her . . . OR you . . . alone. There's Indians around here somewhere, and I've told all of you not to ride alone. As to the fact that she was gonna yell at you . . . why do you suppose that was?"

"Because I told on her."

"Explain that, Maudie."

"That she was gooey-eyed over a boy."

"What if she was gooey-eyed over a boy? Don't you think she had the right to tell us? And what if she's not, what if he's only a friend like she says he is?"

Maude hung her head. "I guess she should have told you. But that's just it, Daddy, she was never gonna tell you. And you had the right to know."

"Maudie, you gotta stay out of your sister's life. Just like she's gotta stay out if yours. Unless one of you is in physical danger, I don't wanna hear about the other one. Understand?"

"Understood, Daddy. But I . . . "

"No buts, Maudie. Stick to your own life, and let Belle stick to hers."

"Yes, sir."

She was finished unsaddling Spreckles. "Come on, let's go inside."

We walked back to the house without speakin' another word. When we got inside she kissed me on the cheek and said, "Goodnight, Daddy." Then she went upstairs to their shared bedroom and I heard the door close. I grabbed a cup of coffee and joined Dorlice in the front room.

"You look like you survived," my wife said to me just as the noise started upstairs.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure they're goin' to," I replied. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but Belle's voice was the loudest. I let it go on for almost five minutes before I went upstairs and opened their door. They both had that look on their faces, like 'What are you doin' here?' "Alright, that's enough, the both of you. Your brothers and sister are tryin' to sleep. If there's anything else to be said, say it in the mornin'. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Daddy."

I closed the door and went back downstairs. I never heard another word.

"Impressive," Doralice proclaimed. "How'd you do out in the barn?"

"Well, I never pushed Belle and I told Maudie that Belle's life was her own and to keep her nose out of it."

"And they're both still talkin' to you?"

"They both said goodnight to me."

"Bravo. Can you keep it up?"

"Don't know, but I'm gonna try. Curiosity's about to kill me, though."

"Let's give Belle some time and see if she has anything to say."

"Yes, ma'am."

The next morning Belle sat at one end of the table and Maudie at the other end. Usually, they were side by side. Nobody dared say anything, and we had the quietest breakfast on record. I walked down to the barn to watch everybody saddle their horses except Tim, who was still too little, even with a pony. Normally one of the twins helped him, but I saddled his for him this mornin', and they rode off in a different order than normal. Maudie rode in with Beauregard and Belle rode in with Breton. Lily Beth waited for Tim, and my babies were off. I wondered how they'd come home.


	5. Belle's Request

Chapter 5 – Belle's Request

At some point Maudie and Belle made up. They came down one morning and sat together at the table, and everything sort of went back to normal. There was no more fighting, but there was still a kind of tension in the air. Then, unexpectedly one night several weeks later, Belle told her momma and me she wanted to talk to us. The three of us sat in the kitchen and drank sweet tea; we waited for our daughter to start.

"Momma, Daddy, you already know that me and Jordan are friends. We've been eatin' lunch together for several weeks, and we talk about everything. We like so many of the same things, books and learning, kittens and new foals, and just being alive. We've gotten even closer, and though I still love Maudie, Jordan has turned into my best friend. He's the first one I think of when I see or hear somethin' new. It makes me happy to think of him."

She stopped, like she was gatherin' her courage or somethin', before she continued. "Anyway, there's a dance in town in three weeks, and Jordan's asked if he can escort me. So now I'm askin' you if I can go to the dance with my best friend."

I couldn't help it, my mouth asked the question before my brain could think. "Aren't you a little young to be goin' to a dance with a boy?"

Doralice shot me a look that should have knocked me over. "What your father means is we need a little more information before we can tell you yes or no. Where's the dance bein' held? What time does it start and when's it over? How is Jordan gonna get you there? What time will you be home? Are the two of you goin' with anyone? Are there chaperones at the dance? Who are they?"

My wife had asked our daughter every question she could think of. Belle didn't look bothered in the least. "I'm not sure I can answer all your questions right now, Mother, but I will get an answer for you. And I'll let you know as soon as I have them."

Belle leaned over and kissed her mother goodnight, then did the same to me. She wore a little bemused smile on her face but said nothin' else. Once she had gone upstairs Doralice looked at me and I knew I was in trouble. "Not a good reaction, gamblin' man. Thought you were gonna be calm with Belle, especially when she came to us first. What happened?"

"Couldn't help it," I told her. "It was just so sudden."

"Well, you shoulda been expecting it. I told you two days ago there was a dance at Greeley's barn and that we had been asked to be chaperones. Don't you remember any of that?"

"No, I don't. What was I doin' when you told me?"

"Sittin' at the dinin' tale drinkin' coffee after breakfast."

"Okay, I sorta remember. I was worried about Austin Star foaling and my mind was elsewhere."

"I swear, from now on I'm gonna make you repeat somethin' back to me when I tell you."

From the tone in her voice, I figured I better do some fast apologizin'. "I'm sorry, darlin.' I promise I'll pay more attention from now on."

"Sure you will."

"Any chance that we could get on as chaperones for this dance?"

"I already said we'd do it. I figured if Belle was even a little bit serious about this Jodan that they'd be at the dance."

I gave her my biggest smile. "You're brilliant, blue-eyes. Now tell me all about this dance and we'll see if Belle's answers match what you already know."

"Alright. The dance is at Greeley's barn three weeks from Friday. No liquor allowed, starts at seven o'clock and goes to midnight. They're supposed to have a three-piece band playin' and chaperones. The rest of the questions I can't answer. I think we should meet this Jordan McKenzie before then, don't you? How about havin' him over for dinner this Saturday?"

I nodded in agreement. "I think that's a good idea. And we have to make it clear to the rest of the littles that there won't be any teasin' or jokin' around about Belle and the boy."

"Alright, I'll tell Belle in the morning, and she can invite him for Saturday, or Sunday if he's doin' somethin' with his folks."

I lay in bed awake half the night, and all I could think of is _'this is all goin' too fast. She was just a baby yesterday. We can't let her go to this dance. I remember what happens at them.' _ All I could remember was the dance that Beau and me went to the summer Bret turned fifteen. I wasn't about to allow anything like that to happen to my girls. When I finally went to sleep it was almost four o'clock in the morning. Needless to say I didn't get much rest that night.

The next morning Doralice told Belle that we wanted Jordan to come over Saturday night for supper so we could meet him, and Belle didn't argue. When she came home that afternoon from school she stopped at the barn and asked me to come to the house with her, so we walked back together. I asked her how school was goin' and she just smiled and said, "Fine. You know I never have trouble in school, daddy."

Doralice joined us when we got inside and once again the three of us sat in the kitchen and drank sweet tea. "Alright, Momma and Daddy, I invited Jordan to supper on Saturday. He said he thinks it's fine, but he'll let me know for sure tomorrow. As for the dance, it's bein' held at Greeley's barn. It starts at seven o'clock and probably won't be over until midnight. Jordan's older brother is gonna drive their buggy and pick me up around six-thirty. I should be home about twelve-thirty. And you know there are chaperones at the dance because you and daddy are gonna be two of them. Any more questions?"

"Not from me. Bart, have you got any more questions?"

"How old is Jordan's brother? And what's his name?"

Belle stared down at her feet. Why did she know that I would ask those questions? She almost laughed. "His brother's name is Anthony, and he's twenty-two."

Doralice shot one of her looks at me. She'd lived around Pappy for so long that she almost had his look perfected. And I noticed. "Alright. Let me and daddy talk it over. We'll let you know after supper."

Belle smiled and finished her sweet tea, then got up and kissed her momma on the cheek. I wasn't so lucky. She scurried upstairs and I turned to Doralice. "What do you mean, we'll give her an answer after supper? That's nowhere near enough time to discuss it."

"That's just exactly why I told her that. You'd talk it to death, given more time. It's a dance, Bart. It's not like she's gonna run off and get married." Once again, I flashed back to the dance with Bret and Mary Alice. Given a chance, that's exactly what they would have done . . . run off and gotten married. I realized that my heart was racing and I was breathing hard. I did my best to calm myself down before I asked my wife, "What do you think?"

"I don't see any reason to tell them no, pending final approval."

I couldn't help it, my heart started pounding again. "What kind of final approval?"

"That Jordan is a nice boy. We can give her the final approval after supper Saturday."

I tried to sound perfectly normal as I told blue-eyes, "Okay. I'll abide by your judgment."

Now all I had to do was live until Saturday.


	6. The Audition

Chapter 6 – The Audition

Jordan accepted our supper invitation for Saturday night, and the day itself finally arrived. Doralice and Lily Mae spent most of the day scurrying about, cleaning and fixing everything up. I spent most of the day in the big barn, workin' with one or another of the two-year-old colts. Far as I could tell, Belle spent most of the day upstairs in her room, trying to determine which dress to wear.

The children had all been warned – no teasing or harassing either Belle or Jordan. That warning went double for Maudie, who was inclined to ignore anything her mother or me had to say, even in the best of times. We were all hopin' that they paid attention to us.

Finally I'd spent enough of the day that it was time to get ready for the big event. I'd left enough time for a bath, and after that I got shaved and dressed. Doralice had worn one of her prettiest dresses, a kind of aqua thing that she wore to church, and put her hair on top of her head. Belle came down to approve of the way her mother looked, and to have her hair braided in front, hangin' long and loose in back. By the time her momma got done she no longer looked like my little girl, and I wanted to cry. Fortunately, I didn't.

Doralice and me went downstairs to wait, and just a few minutes before six o'clock there was a knock at the door. Our daughter came flyin' down the stairs and slowed herself just before the final step. She'd chosen a frothy pink number to wear, and she looked like an angel. She opened the door and they whispered a few words to each other, then we were introduced to Jordan McKenzie.

He was tall, a whole head taller than our Belle, with rust red hair and a face full of freckles. He was built on the thin side, just like Belle. His clothes were worn but clean; it was obvious this was a young man that worked when he wasn't in school. He was polite and soft-spoken, and very deferential to the ladies.

"Mrs. Maverick, Mr. Maverick, I'm honored to meet the two of you. Belle has told me so much about you and how much respect she has for both of you, and I can understand why. But she failed to tell me what fine-looking parents she has. Now I know where she gets her beauty. You've raised a spectacular daughter." He bowed to blue-eyes and shook my hand, and it was a good, firm handshake. Lily Mae brought the rest of the other children in, and it was evident that they all knew and liked Jordan from the interaction between them.

Supper was a lively affair, with banter amongst everyone at the table. I listened, for the most part, until the talk turned to horses. Jordan knew quite a bit about them, and he was most anxious to see the Criollos and the cross-breeds. I promised a trip to the stables when supper was through.

I didn't want to like him . . . I had been fully prepared to dislike the boy that wanted to take my Belle away from me. Jordan made that, if not impossible, extremely difficult. I came to the conclusion that he was a kind and gentle young man, and that Belle had chosen well. I could tell from the way Doralice responded to him that she thought so, too.

Lily Mae brought in my favorite for dessert, Texas Pecan Pie. I knew that Jordan was sincere when his eyes lit up and he exclaimed, "Oh boy, my favorite!" If I had any doubts, I had to practically fight him for a second piece, and I would have been disappointed yielding to him until Lily Mea whispered in my ear, "Don't worry, Mr. B, I got another one in the kitchen."

When we were finished and stuffed as we could be, I took Belle and Jordan down to the Criollo/Cross-Breed barn. I explained what we were tryin' to develop and showed Jordan some of the results. He seemed fascinated by what we'd been able to achieve, and quizzed me endlessly about how well the cross-breeds would take to ranch life. We talked for almost an hour before one of Lucy's descendants appeared. I remembered what Belle had said about their mutual love for kittens, and showed them where Mariah was keeping her four-week-old babies. I left them in the barn 'oohing' and 'ahhing' over the kittens and went back to the house.

"I guess we can't very well tell her no now, can we?" I asked Doralice, and she shook her head.

"Nope, we have to let her go."

"I'm still gonna be a wreck the whole night, no matter what a nice boy he seems to be."

"It'll be alright, gamblin' man."

"Do you promise?" I asked her.

"I promise."

I put my arms around her and held her tight. "I hope you're right, blue-eyes."


	7. The Dance

Chapter 7 – The Dance

The days passed faster than I could have imagined, and before I knew it, the day of the dance had arrived. Belle and Doralice had been workin'on Belle's dress, and I, of course, had been excluded from participating or seeing it before it was finished. My daughter spent all day gettin' ready, starting with a bath in the morning and pamperin' and powderin' all day. I told her to get dressed, get her hair done, and be downstairs by six o'clock. Her mother and me had some things we wanted to say to her.

When she came downstairs, I could hardly recognize her. My little girl had turned into a woman overnight. And not just a woman. A beautiful woman. My heart soared that her mother and me had given life to such a gorgeous creature, and then crashed and burned when I realized she would be someone's wife and mother someday and not remain my darlin' Belle forever. That would mean I'd lost Isabelle twice in my life.

With her beautiful blonde hair braided and wrapped on top of her head and her dress cut low, I realized somethin' else. Belle had developed a bosom, and she was almost the spitting image of her mother. Her dress was the same shade of aqua that looked so good on Doralice, and her long sleeves were made of lace. She looked so grown up; I was almost afraid to let her out of the house. I sat on the settee and her mother sat in a big old comfortable armchair. Belle came over and sat next to her daddy; it was both exciting and frightening to be sittin' so close to her. I had to remind myself of all the things I wanted to tell her.

I cleared my throat before I began. "Your mother and me want you to have a good time, but we want you to be careful. Don't dance with or talk to anybody you don't know. Stay with Jordan unless you're with a group of friends. Don't leave Greeley's barn for any reason. If there's any kind of trouble, find one of the chaperones. Be careful what you drink, and don't smoke anything. Be sure that you leave when the dance is over. Come straight home."

Belle looked at me like I'd lost my mind. "Daddy, you and Momma are gonna be there, no doubt watchin' everything I do. I have some common sense, you know."

That's when Doralice took over, thank God. "Honey, daddy's just worried about you, that's all. He knows you have common sense. You must understand, you're the first one of our babies . . . uh, children to go out by yourself, and we just don't want anything to happen to you. You look beautiful and I'm sure you'll have a good time."

Just then there was a knock at the door. Belle ran to answer it and she found Jordan with a much taller young man waiting for her. "Mr. Maverick, this is my brother Anthony. I thought maybe you'd like to meet him."

The same rust color hair, with fewer freckles, and the same firm handshake. "I'll take good care of them, sir." Anthony wore the same kind of clothes as Jordan had on the other night, worn but clean. Jordan, however, wore his Sunday clothes tonight, a dark broadcloth suit with a waistcoat, and his boots were clean and shiny.

Doralice gave Belle a shawl that matched her dress, and Jordan took her hand and led her to the buggy, where he helped her in, then got in beside her. Anthony took the driver's seat and set off at a gentle trot; we stood in the doorway and waved goodbye. I turned to my wife with tears in my eyes. "Our little girl's all grown up, Momma."

I was surprised to hear Doralice sound as sentimental as I felt. "Yes she is, Daddy."

"Well, I guess I better hitch up our buggy."

"Yes, you should." She turned away and I saw her wipe her eyes.

XXXXXXXX

By the time we got there the dance was in full swing. We were asked to monitor the punchbowl, to make sure that nothing was put in there that didn't belong. I spotted Belle and Jordan first, out on the dancefloor, and resisted the temptation to wave at them. As far as we were concerned, tonight they were just another couple. I have to admit they made a good lookin' pair.

There were a lot of people packed into the barn, most of whom I knew. I noticed quite a few single cowhands, some of them much too old to be at this dance, but they tended to stay to themselves and were pretty quiet. One of the younger ones asked Belle to dance, but she turned him down. Nice to know she listened to me once in a while.

Most of the fifteen and sixteen-year-olds from school were here, and Belle danced with several of her classmates, but she only had eyes for Jordan. We caught one of the boys tryin' to slip some moonshine into the punch bowl and promptly sent him home with a stern warning not to come back. A lot of the kids talked to us, and it was actually a much more pleasant evening than I had anticipated. Of course, every minute that I wasn't watchin' the punch bowl I spent watchin' my daughter, with a mixture of pride and regret. I knew our little girl was gone forever, and an elegant young woman had taken her place.

The dance started to thin out around eleven o'clock, and Doralice and me left at eleven-thirty when the punchbowl was emptied. We thought it might be good to let Belle have some time without her parents there, but I had no intention of goin' straight home. I drove the buggy down by the river, and me and my wife sat in the moonlight and talked about our life together. We had so many things to reminisce about, and for the first time, I felt old. Not that we were; it just felt that way. We still had plenty of life left to live, and babies to raise. Hell, Tim was only five years old.

I finally took up the reins again and we went home. Anthony's buggy was out front, but there was no sign of him, Belle or Jordan. We found the three of them in the kitchen, bein' fed apple pie by Lily Mae and chatterin' like monkeys. Belle jumped up and wrapped her arms around me.

"Oh, Daddy, wasn't it wonderful? Thank you so much for letting me go!"

I don't think I'd ever seen Belle so excited, or happy. "You're welcome."

Jordan made his way over to me. "Yes, thank you Mr. Maverick. We really enjoyed the dance. Now I have another favor to ask of you." I couldn't imagine what the boy was about to ask. "I'd like to have your permission to come over every morning and ride to school with Belle and her brothers and sisters, and to ride home with them at night."

"Of course you can, Jordan. I didn't know you had a horse."

"Yes sir. My Pa bought me one for my birthday. Course he's not as fine as the ones you showed us last night, but he'll do. I can use him to help with my work at home, too. Belle, I'll be over Monday morning to join you and your brothers and sisters. Well, we better get goin' on home."

Anthony got up. "Thank you, Miss Lily, for the pie. It was delicious. Jordy, I'll be outside. Goodnight, everyone. It was a pleasure to meet you all." We shook hands and Anthony left.

"I'll walk you to the door, Jordan," Belle told her young man, and we all said goodnight.

"Lily Mae, have you got any of that pie left?"

"Now you know I do, Mr. B. You want coffee, too?"

"Of course. Doralice, you want some?"

"Of Lily's apple pie? Sure do. I'll have coffee, too, Lily."

Lily smiled at both of us when she brought the coffee over. "He seems like a nice young man, doesn't he?"

I couldn't deny it. "Yes, he does."

"Gamblin' man, you took this a thing a whole lot better than I expected you to. I'm proud of you."

I didn't tell Doralice how anxious and worried I'd been. "I can't believe I've gotta go through this five more times."

"You think this was bad, wait till one of 'em gets married."

Oh, God. Married. I don't know how I'm gonna live through that.


	8. The Crying Begins

Chapter 8 – The Crying Begins

The days passed faster than I expected them to. Jordan became a regular fixture at our house, and before I knew it Christmas came and went. Maudie spent every spare minute down at the barns with me, and Belle spent every spare minute with Jordan. They did a lot of riding; the boy took two of Mariah's kittens home with him. January passed; there was another dance at Greeley's barn, and of course the two of them went to that. Belle began murmuring about 'love,' and I feared a repeat of Bret and Alice. The murmurings never went any further, however, and I was glad of that.

Then talk began of summer vacation and all the things they could do while they were off. They even started making plans for their last year of school together, and Belle began mulling over college. I feared she wouldn't want to attend after all because it became quite clear that college wasn't in the cards for Jordan.

Winter finally passed and spring loomed on the horizon, and slowly but surely it seemed that Jordan was slipping out of Belle's life. I asked her what was goin' on and she just murmured somethin' about Jordan bein' sent to his Uncle's house in Montana to learn the cattle business. Belle seemed distraught over spendin' the whole summer without the boy, and I knew it was gonna be tough on her. She'd come to depend on him for so many things, so I pointed out to her that he'd be back in August for their final year of school together. That seemed to cheer her up a little, but it was really hard on her the day they said their goodbyes for the summer.

He'd come over to bid us all farewell, and as soon as he rode out of sight, I could hear her in her room cryin'. Maudie made sure she was outdoors most of the day, but when she finally came in for supper, she came to me. "Daddy, I couldn't even stay in our room long enough to wash up. She just cries and cries and cries, like the world was endin.' Can you talk to her? She can't go on like this all summer long."

"Go on downstairs and eat. I'll go up and have a word with her." I walked down to the twins room and could hear my baby girl through the door. There was no doubt that her heart sounded broken. I knocked on the door before I went in, and she was down to small, choking sobs by the time I got to her. "Honey, you can't keep cryin' like this. You'll make yourself sick."

"I d-d-don't c-c-care," she wailed. I put my arms around her and pulled her close, and let her cry all over me for a few minutes.

"You're gonna miss supper," I told her.

"Not h-h-hungry," was her reply.

"You didn't eat lunch."

"Don't c-c-care."

"Well, your mother and me do. You can't go without eatin' all summer long. I want you to come downstairs and get some supper."

"Can't eat."

"Yes you can. Here's my handkerchief. Wipe your eyes and blow your nose, and I'll take you downstairs with me."

"Daddy, please, I don't want anything."

"Too bad, Missy. You're gonna stop cryin' and eat somethin'."

When she saw that I wasn't gonna give up, she did exactly what I asked her to. We didn't get much food in her, but we got some. And Lily Mae was able to tempt her with cherry pie, her favorite. I guess that was better than nothin.'

Belle went from bad to worse and back again. I'd hear her upstairs sobbin' and then all would be quiet for the rest of the day. She did a lot of readin' and a lot of letter writin', and I rode into town two or three times a week to collect her mail. I say her mail because that's what it was; there was none of us that got any. Just Belle. And she wrote as many letters as she got. At least she did for the first month or two that Jordan was in Montana.

And then I began to notice somethin.' There were fewer and fewer letters comin' from Montana. Belle was still writin' as many to the boy as she'd been writin' before . . . but he wasn't sendin' any back near as much. When they'd first started there were four or five letters a week from Jordan . . . now she was lucky to get two or three. By the beginning of August it was down to one or two.

And then one week there were none. The following week again there were none, and then finally the third week of August there was one very lightweight letter. I was afraid it was gonna be bad news . . . and I was right. About five minutes after I gave it to her she let out a scream, then she came flying down the stairs crying and wavin' one piece of paper. "Daddy! Oh, Daddy! He's not comin' back to Texas. He's gonna stay in Montana and work on his Uncle's ranch! He says he's sorry, but he's got a good job up there and he loves Montana! He didn't even . . . didn't even ask me to come to Montana! Oh, Daddy!"

She flung herself down the last two or three stairs and landed in my arms with a woosh! She was back to sobbing again, with all her might, and it didn't seem like there was anything I could do to stop it. Doralice came running in from the kitchen and questioned me with her eyes. "He's not comin' back," I whispered, and her momma did her best to peal our girl off of me.

"Honey, honey, there's no sense in cryin' your eyes out. That's not gonna bring him back."

"But I love him! How could he do this to me? I thought he loved me too; at least he said he did. And after . . ."

The crying had slowed down but what she hadn't said had me worried. "Belle, did he . . . I mean did the two of you . . . did you sleep with him?"

That started another round of sobbing. I guess it was the wrong thing to ask. Her mother gave me another 'Pappy' look and I felt my cheeks flame with embarrassment. "Really, Bart, how can you ask that?"

"Remember the story I told you about Bret and Mary Alice? That's how I can ask it. Anything's possible when these babies decide they're in love. You don't like the way I phrased it? You ask her."

"Alright. Belle, honey, you didn't . . . did you?"

She shook her head violently. "God, no!"

I let out a breath. At least we didn't have to worry about babies havin' babies. Now all we had to do was listen to her wail. I just hoped it wouldn't go on forever because as long as she cried, she was still in pain. And it was only the middle of August. What was gonna happen when she went back to school, and there was no Jordan to comfort her or to confide in? They'd made so many plans for this last year of school, and now she had to go through it without him. No matter how nice he'd been, if I could have gotten my hands on him right then, I would have strangled him.


	9. Minnie

Chapter 9 – Minnie

The rest of August drug its feet and it was soon time for school to begin. Belle had managed to hold the crying to a minimum unless somethin' set her off. Maudie made sure that she rode in with her twin, and left it up to Belle to determine what they talked about. When they came home Belle went straight to her room and I heard the crying start up again. "What happened?" I asked Maudie.

"You mean what started that again?"

"Exactly."

"Sammi Jo Westbrook was out of town all summer, so when she saw Belle she asked how she and Jordan enjoyed the summer. When Belle didn't answer her she asked where Jordan was. Belle burst into tears, and she's been like that most of the day. Miss Ellie did everything she could; she had sister help her design a spelling test, and that kept her quiet for a while. She finally had to put her outside, and threatened to send her home if she couldn't control her cryin.' Miss Ellie said she's comin' over after supper to talk to you and Momma."

I sighed. I couldn't help it, I knew how much Belle was hurtin,' and I knew there wasn't a darn thing I could do about it. Maybe it was a bad idea for her to go to school right now. "Go see what you can do to help your mother. I'm goin' up to talk to her." Before I could take a step, Maudie put her hand on my arm.

"Be gentle, Daddy. She's so miserable, and I can't think of a thing to make her feel better. Can you?"

I shook my head. "I wish I could. Maybe your Grandpa has an idea. Maybe I should go see him instead of talkin' to your sister."

"I'll tell Momma that's where you've gone, and to make sure supper's a little later." She kissed me on the cheek. Neither one of my girls had to stand on tiptoe to reach me anymore. They'd gotten so tall; taller than their mother and almost as tall as me.

I set out for Pappy and Maude's house, hoping against hope that Pa had some idea about what I could do to sooth my Isabelle before she got thrown out of school for disturbin' the class. "I'm at my wits end, Pappy. I just don't know what to do for her."

Pappy rubbed his chin and set to thinkin.' "You gotta give her somethin' to take care of, son. Somethin' that requires her full and constant attention. Somethin' that don't allow her no time to dwell on Jordan not bein' here. Let me see . . . "

Just then Maude came in with fresh flowers from her garden. "What about that scrawny runt hound that Daisy had in her last litter? Somebody doesn't take special care of it, it ain't long for this world. You said so yourself, Beau. She's got a big enough heart that she just might wanna be its mommy. You get her interested in that little pup, you might stop the bawlin.'"

"By God, you just might be right, Maude. "

"She's more partial to cats, Pa."

Pappy got a big grin on his face. "Cats would remind her of the boy. That pup is just what she needs. Dog don't even have a name. It's a tiny little thing, out by the feed box in the big barn. It's mostly brown, with some white on its face. Go on out and get it, son, and take some cow's milk with you. Here, Maudie, get him somethin' to put the milk in. Wrap it up in a towel and take it home, see how she takes to it. If she don't you ain't lost nothin'."

It sounded like it just might work. Maude gave me somethin' to hold some milk and I stopped in the cow barn and took care of that first. Then I went to what Pappy called the big barn and headed straight to the feed box. He was right, it was a tiny little thing. A girl, too. I wrapped her up in the towel Maude had given me as gently as I could and headed home. I prayed the whole way that Belle would feel so bad for the puppy that she'd at least stop cryin'. It kept its eyes closed and shivered the whole way home, and it wasn't even cold out. Maudie met me at the door. "What is that?" she asked.

"Somethin' to occupy your sister's attention, I hope. Come on upstairs with me. You can run down and get one of the babies old bottles after we see if this works or not."

I handed Maudie the container with warm cow's milk in it and proceeded upstairs. I knocked gently on the door and went in, Maudie right behind me. "I've got somethin' here that needs your help," I told Belle, and held the puppy, still wrapped in the towel, out to her. It took her a minute to look up, but when she did her whole expression changed. She gulped and got real quite. "Is that Daisy's runt puppy?" she asked.

"It is, and if somebody doesn't start takin' care of her, she's gonna die. She ain't even named. I brought some milk and Maudie's gonna go downstairs and get a bottle. You willin', or should I take her back to the barn and let her die?"

I handed the towel and what was inside it to Belle. The little one opened her eyes and licked Belle's nose. My daughter said something like, "Oh," and cradled the puppy in the crook of her arm. "What's her name?"

"She doesn't have one. You keep her alive and you can call her anything you want." Maudie arrived back with one of Tim's old baby bottles, and we filled it full of milk. Belle gave the nipple to the puppy and she took it right away and started sucking on it. "I'll bring you up some supper," I told her, and she nodded. Maudie and me went downstairs and ate supper, then filled a plate for Belle and took it back upstairs. We found the runt in Belle's lap, sound asleep. "I've got a plate for you, Isabelle. If you're really careful you can eat without disturbin' her."

Belle took the plate and ate most of what was on it. The puppy continued her nap, and when my daughter was finished with her supper she looked at me and almost smiled. "I'm gonna name her Minnie. And she's gonna live, Daddy." She handed me her plate before asking her question. "What am I gonna do with her during the daytime?"

"Your mother or me or Lily Mae will feed her and take care of her. Then you can take over when you get home. IF you want to."

"Well, I have to, don't I? I can't let her die. No, I can't let the poor baby die."

"You can keep her up here in your room as long as you take care of her. You hafta feed her every couple of hours, and you have to take her outside and let her pee. Understood?"

"Yes, Daddy. I got it."

The last I saw of the two of them, Minnie was still in Belle's lap, fast asleep. I never heard another sound out of my daughter that night.

The next morning Maudie came downstairs alone. "Where's your sister?" I asked.

"Feeding Minnie," she replied. "What kind of a spell did you weave over her? I only heard one small sobbing fit from Belle last night, and it only lasted a few minutes."

"Wasn't my idea," I admitted. "It was your namesake's."

"Grandma's?"

"Yep. She was the genius behind it."

We had just been seated at the table when Belle made an appearance with a sling around her neck. I was about ready to ask what happened when I saw what was inside the sling. Not one of my daughter's arms, but the puppy, sound asleep. "Have you taken her outside yet?" I asked.

"Once last night," came the reply. "We're goin' out as soon as I eat."

"Good. In that case I'll let her stay."

We ate breakfast and there wasn't even as much as a wiggle from the dog. Belle seemed in a much better mood, and her eyes were clear for the first time in days. "You sure you can get through school without any interruptions?"

"Yes, sir. I'm gonna come home at lunch and feed her."

That wasn't what I was asking, but as long as 'Jordan' and 'crying' weren't in her thoughts I wasn't gonna argue with it. "You explain what you're doin' to Miss Ellie, so if you're gone a few extra minutes she'll know where you are."

"Yes, sir." With that she got up, grabbed a biscuit, and headed for the back door with Minnie.

"Going to . . . ?" Lily Mae asked.

"Yes," I answered. And so began the beginning of the end of my daughter crying her heart out over a young man in Montana, courtesy of a scrawny puppy named Minnie. I can't say that the hysterics stopped immediately, but they certainly slowed and eventually, there were no more. I will forever be in debt to my mother-in-law for her suggestion.


	10. Epilogue

Epilogue

As I said before, Minnie didn't completely alleviate Belle's crying jags, but she did slow them down considerably. There were no more outburst's at school, and she was usually too busy with Minnie at home to have one. By Christmas, they were a thing of the past.

Minnie grew into a magnificent hound, and she followed Belle everywhere. "Told you she'd live, Daddy," was the only thing my daughter had to say to me about it. I just nodded and smiled, forever grateful to both Maude Maverick and, of course, Minnie. Sometime after Christmas Belle received another letter from Jordan. I, of course, didn't give it to her. I stood in the post office and read it myself. I didn't think she needed to hear from him after all this time.

_Dear Belle,_

_I'm sorry that I ended things the way I did between us back in August. I knew I wasn't comin' back to Texas and I figured you'd be better off knowin' right away. This country is so beautiful, so lush and green, and I never felt so at home in a place as I do here. But Montana wasn't the only reason I wasn't comin' back, and I figured you should know the reason why._

_You were too smart for me, Belle, and I guess I always knew that but never wanted to admit it. I found me a little girl here that's about as educated as I am, and we're gonna be married in May. She's not as pretty as you, and nowhere near as bright, but I feel comfortable when I'm with her, and she loves me with all her heart. I'm buildin' us a house on my days off and it will be done when we graduate from school. I do have a good job with my uncle, and I feel real lucky._

_I'm sorry if I hurt you or caused you any pain. I really did love you, Belle, but it just wouldn't have worked between us. I hope you can understand. Go find yourself a college boy, somebody who's as bright as you are. I wish you all the best in life._

_Jordan_

After I read it I was positive I was doin' the right thing by tearin' it up. Hearing from Jordan would just set her off on a crin' jag again, and none of us, including Belle, needed that. I tore it into little pieces and left it in the trash at the post office. I haven't told her to this day that he wrote to her, and I never will.

I hope and pray that Maudie never has to go through anything like this. And that Belle's next love will be true and supportive of the jewel that she is, and not afraid of her mind or education.

That's all there is for now. Graduation is just a few months away, and I'll be so proud when my girls take their final exams and leave Miss Ellie's class with a certificate of education. Heck, they're gettin' more than I got. They just turned us loose on the last day of school and said, "Goodbye. Don't come back."

Fatherhood has been an amazing journey. I've done some good things, and I've done some not so good things. I can only hope that the good outweigh the bad. I got four more to get educated. I hope they all turn out as good as my girls.

The End

1


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